


To Share in Your Pain

by DuskyDancing



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Background Dimitri/Ingrid, Background Sylvain/Mercedes, Canonical Character Death, Eventual Romance, F/M, Felileth Week (Fire Emblem), Fire Emblem: Three Houses Blue Lions Route, Major Character Injury, Pining, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Romance, Shared Pain Soulmates, Slow Burn, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:34:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25360027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DuskyDancing/pseuds/DuskyDancing
Summary: In a world where soulmates feel each others' physical pain, a young swordsman begins to feel familiar injuries with no source. The revelation leads him to train harder than ever before in anticipation for their fated encounter, and when he enrolls at the Officer's Academy, he finds the perfect sparring partner.For Felileth Week - Day 7 - Soulmate AU
Relationships: Felix Hugo Fraldarius/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 27
Kudos: 156





	1. Chapter 1

**Imperial Year 1172**

Phantom pains plagued Felix throughout his childhood. Nothing major, just scratches, bumps and bruises. Occasionally his ankle would suddenly ache enough that he couldn't walk, or his body would wake up feeling sore like he'd gotten into a fight.

It wasn't until he turned ten years old that his mother sat him down to explain everything - that he had a soulmate somewhere in the world, and soulmates could feel each others' pain. Felix thought back to each time he'd wrestled with his brother, Glenn, or fallen from a tree. Even so, the invisible pains he'd felt far outweighed any of his actual injuries.

"But why so many?" He asked.

His mother smoothed his raven hair. "She may be less fortunate than us," she said without a hint of judgment. "Maybe she has a hard life, or maybe…" she tickled his sides and forced motherly kisses on his cheeks, "she's even more rambunctious than you are,"

She also explained that his brother had already found his soulmate in Ingrid, the heiress of Count Galatea. House Fraldarius and House Galatea had always been close, and it didn't take long for their children to feel each other's pain in proximity during one of their many visits.

After the talk with his mother, Felix paid little mind to his soulmate. He knew where the pain came from, and that answer was enough to satisfy him. There were more important matters than fantasizing about future romance, like further learning to wield a sword.

Sword-fighting was probably the only thing Felix liked about knighthood. Becoming stronger, learning to outsmart his enemies, and adapting to survive - _that_ was something he could spend his life striving towards. He listened when his father prattled on about honor and the Fraldarius oath to be a shield to the crown at any cost, but thought the mentality silly. Maybe he'd make a poor shield to the king compared to the other dukes, but if he became strong enough, he'd never have to put himself in a position to give his life for the royals in the first place.

The only other time he'd thought of his soulmate was during a hunting trip with his brother. He'd underestimated the strength of a wild boar, and the beast had cleaved right through his shoulder when they'd frightened it.

As he sat on the forest ground and gripped his bleeding, throbbing shoulder, he remembered every phantom pain he'd felt thus far. He whispered a quick, "Sorry," that went unheard before his brother came to his rescue and told him he was lucky to survive.

* * *

**Imperial Year 1176**

As the years went on, the phantom pains only grew more severe, and he figured out what they were when he was a young teenager. Through the many accidents and mistakes as his training grew more intense, he'd become familiar enough with the feeling of a sword striking his flesh to know it anywhere.

His soulmate was a swordsman.

A newfound excitement grew within him at the realization that his soulmate shared not only his pain, but his love of sword-fighting. Perhaps they were a mercenary. Or an orphan being raised in the barracks. With the frequency of their injuries, it was clear that they were training far more often than he was.

That needed to change.

He brought it up for the first time with Ingrid, Sylvain and Dimitri during one of their visits to Fhirdiad, the Kingdom capital. "I need to become stronger if they're gonna be a worthy opponent."

"Felix," Ingrid pinched her brows, "you don't _fight_ your soulmate."

"Then what do you do?" he asked.

"That's easy," Sylvain said, "you see as many girls as possible before you meet her! Might as well enjoy all the freedom you can before fate straps you to one person forever." He winked.

"Sylvain, you're horrible!" Ingrid punched his shoulder. "Don't listen to him, Felix. What you're _supposed_ to do is find them, win their heart, and live happily ever after, just like in the books."

"Sounds lame," Felix said, "and if they're really a fighter, they'll probably think that sounds pretty lame too."

"You should consider yourself lucky that you have someone to look forward to meeting at all," Dimitri chimed in.

Felix cringed. All conversation came to a halt once everyone remembered the prince's predicament. For as long as Dimitri could remember, his chest bore the X-shaped scar that symbolized the passing of his soulmate. Whether she passed as an infant or later, everyone thought it best to not dwell too heavily on the details or her possible identity. The crown prince lacking a soulmate would become a problem for the royal family, but Dimitri hadn't let it bring him down too much.

"I'm sorry, Dimitri," Ingrid said, "I shouldn't have brought it up."

"No, no!" He waved dismissively. "I didn't mean to be a damper. Just that, if I still had a soulmate, I'd want to best prepare myself for meeting her. For Felix, that may entail training harder and becoming stronger so he can impress them...or fight them," He smiled, and Felix nodded his gratitude. "N-not that you shouldn't already try to be your best self, of course."

"You're the lucky one, Dimitri," Sylvain said. "You can do what you want without worrying about a fated romantic encounter."

Ingrid narrowed her eyes. "You would do well to take Dimitri's advice, Sylvain."

Felix nodded with a smirk, "What she said. I feel bad for the woman who ends up with you."

"Hey, if she's my soulmate, she can handle me. No big deal." Sylvain leaned back with his hands laced behind his red hair. "It's easy for you to talk, Ingrid, when you've already met yours."

She couldn't hide the blush that formed on her cheeks. "I suppose you're right. If they're your soulmate, Felix, I'm sure they're just as excited to spar you one day."

As Felix sat with his three closest friends, all felt like they'd come to an understanding despite their different views on the whole 'soulmate' situation. Maybe, just maybe, he would meet his soulmate eventually, and everyone could be happy.

* * *

Ingrid knew about Glenn's death before anyone else.

She happened to be visiting the Fraldarius estate at the time, awaiting Glenn's return from Duscur. One moment, she and Felix were sparring to sharpen their lance skills. In the next, she was gripping her chest and collapsing in a cry of pain. Felix hadn't so much as swiped her, but he still panicked and rushed to help. Confusion wracked his brain until she pulled aside her collar to reveal the edges of the fresh scar on her chest.

X-shaped, just like Dimitri's.

"Glenn…" she muttered, with tears already welling in her eyes.

Felix's heart stopped. His mind tried to block out what his eyes were telling him by coming up with excuses. She was mistaken. His brother was the strongest, most skilled swordsman he knew. He was with an entire royal entourage; there was no way anyone would die even if an assassin attacked. This was just some cruel prank.

His brother couldn't be dead.

News of what came to be known as the Tragedy of Duscur arrived within a day. The entire royal family and their entourage had been sabotaged, attacked, and executed. Only Dimitri the crown prince escaped and survived thanks to Glenn's sacrifice.

They say a death in the family either draws people together or drives them apart. If that were true, Felix's father was sure to irreversibly widen the rift between them with his first words following the news:

"He died like a true knight."

Coping with his grief, adjusting to the sudden change in Kingdom leadership, and watching his childhood friend change for the worse before his very eyes were hard enough. If Felix tolerated the ideals of knighthood before, he utterly despised them after that single sentence. His father had seen his sons merely as pawns to carry on their family crest and its ridiculous oath. Nothing, not even his mother's attempt at mediation, would convince him otherwise.

* * *

**Great Tree Moon, 1180**

Despite his hatred of knighthood and nobility, Felix agreed to enroll at the Garreg Mach Officer's Academy when he became of age. At the very least, he could spend a year away from his father.

It'd been four years since the tragedy, and being the sole survivor had turned Dimitri into an animal hungry for revenge - a boar, one could say. But like the prim prince he was raised to be, he hid that demon under a veil of innocence and propriety. It irked Felix to see so many students and professors fall for the performance, but he'd long since given up on convincing them of the Boar's true nature.

So Felix buckled in for a year of training in religion, history, and combat, both physical and magical. He was confident that he knew much more about the sword than any teacher at the stuffy academy and planned to breeze through their lessons on swordsmanship.

That was, until he met their professor.

She first happened upon him while he was in the training grounds, which were surprisingly well-stocked and looked after for a monastery.

"You must be Felix," she said.

He returned a wooden practice sword to the weapons rack and faced her. With her small but muscled build, it wasn't hard to believe she'd been the one to save the boar prince from bandits. Her expression was a bit stoic, but she carried herself confidently. "What gave it away?"

"Dimitri said I could probably find you here," she said. Felix huffed at the mention of the Boar, which didn't go unnoticed by the professor. She raised an eyebrow. "I heard you're good with a sword, is that true?"

"I've heard the same about you, professor. If it's true, I look forward to crossing blades with you. It's about time I had a worthy adversary to overcome."

Challenging one of the other professors at the academy would probably have been met with some sort of scowl or penalty, but if his words had an affect on her it didn't show. She blinked, barely changing her expression.

"I'd like to see you try," she said before leaving him to train.

He learned her name later. Byleth.

Felix couldn't figure out for the life of him why the monastery would hire a mercenary - one with no knowledge of either of the three nations or the church - as a professor at their academy. She didn't even seem much older than her students and could easily have passed as one if Felix didn't know any better. Regardless, she fascinated him, and if anything her lack of nobility and chivalry was a breath of fresh air. When Ashe and Ingrid tried to eagerly explain the rules of chivalry to her, she merely cocked her head to the side in confusion. The sight caused Felix to actually laugh.

She didn't know anything about Fodlan or the Church of Seiros, but what she _did_ know was how to fight. And fight like hell she could. She wasn't the daughter of Jeralt the Blade Breaker for no reason.

Not only was her form impeccable, but she also refused to be weighed down by typical rules of sword combat. She fought dirty, and that was exactly what he needed in a teacher.

Immediately after witnessing her fighting in the first mock battle, he asked her personally for sparring lessons.

* * *

**Wyvern Moon, 1180**

She bested him every time their swords crossed, but it only made him want to try harder, become stronger.

Despite only using wooden training swords against one another, Felix had no doubt that she could easily kill someone with it. No time was wasted with teasing or hesitation while training with her. It was perfect. Perhaps he'd finally found a worthy opponent.

By late summer, their greatest test of strength yet, the Battle of the Eagle and Lion, loomed just around the corner. Their half-year of training had settled them into a sparring routine. He'd been able to hold his ground against her longer with each session, and this time was no different.

She lunged at him, but instead of rebounding from his parry and changing her position, she kept pushing forward. As her strength forced him back, he dug his heels into the ground and shifted his stance to resist her. She wore the same emotionless focus as she always had, until she glanced down towards his shoulder.

Her eyes went wide, and she let up just enough for him to exploit her opening. He pushed her back, and now that he had the advantage for once, he wasn't going to give it up easily. He unleashed flurry after flurry, unrelenting in their strength or speed. She managed to hold her ground until his arm became sore, before one wide-arching swing knocked her practice blade from her hand. She stepped back, and he positioned his blade at her neck, waiting eagerly for the next words to spill from her mouth.

She sighed, "I yield." Even in defeat, she held her head high.

The switch in his mind flipped, and a victorious smirk quickly grew on his face. He lowered his blade, then picked up her own to return to her. As they walked in silence back to the weapon rack, however, Felix couldn't shake the feeling that his first victory had been undeserved.

"Something distracted you back there," he blurted. "What happened?"

Any sense of bewilderment had disappeared from her face already. She stood expressionless as she re-racked the wooden sword.

"Your shoulder," she said.

He glanced down. Unlike his normal training tunic, his current tank for warmer weather exposed the large scar from many years ago.

He chuckled, "Don't tell me scars creep you out, of all things. Surely someone of your background has a few to spare."

"They don't creep me out," she said. "It just surprised me, that's all."

"Didn't think noblesons like me would have them, huh?"

"I know better than to assume."

"Well I want a rematch. That didn't count."

She huffed, and it was the closest he'd heard to laughter from her. "You won, Fraldarius, but you got lucky." She regarded him with a twitch of a smile on her face. "It won't happen again."

"We'll see." He pulled his dark indigo hair out of its messy bun and shook it loose. "Aren't you curious how I got it?"

"Not particularly," she said. "Is it a story you like to tell?"

"It's not too exciting," he said as he began to regather his hair into a fresh new bun. "Most people assume it was some battle injury or heroic deed and ask anyway. In truth, it was just a hunting accident. Got too cocky with a boar."

She hummed to tell him she was listening, yet he sensed she'd truly been honest about her disinterest earlier.

Back in his room, Felix stared at the scar in his reflection before changing out of his sparring gear. Why would a simple scar have thrown her off so much? It might not have been pleasant to look at, but no doubt she'd seen worse in her lifetime.

Felix paused, his hand lingering over the healed wound.

_Her lifetime...as a mercenary._

_As a swordsman._

_A pretty damn good swordsman._

His gut dropped, and his eyes blew wide. Maybe she didn't want to know the story of his scar, not because she didn't care, but because she was afraid to know more. Afraid to confirm the timeline, because she remembered feeling that pain herself.

_Is she my...are we…?_

"She's my _professor_!" he quickly covered his mouth before the rest of the dormitory could hear him shouting at himself. His hair came undone again as his hands carded through it in a panic while he paced his room.

"It's just a coincidence. There's no way. Scars like mine are common. Fate can't be _this_ cruel!"

When she invited him to tea the next day, even though she had one-on-one tea with all of her students, he'd never felt more nervous accepting anything.

_Fate can't be this cruel._

* * *

**Ethereal Moon, 1180**

Fate, turns out, _could_ be that cruel.

It showed as much when her father fell in battle right before her very eyes, stabbed in the back by a supposed rescued student. Felix had rarely seen Byleth emote, let alone cry, yet he and Dimitri had to pull her sobbing form off of Jeralt's unmoving body. On the brief journey back to the monastery, Dimitri was much more benevolent with words, offering deep condolences and promises to aid in revenge while Felix walked alongside in silence.

The prince's words sounded sweet to bystanders, but Felix recognized the dark undertones anywhere. He'd spouted the same promises to Felix after Glenn had died, and the swordsman had foolishly believed his quest to be honorable. He hoped the professor wouldn't be naive enough to fall for it as well. The Boar was already hungry for revenge; he didn't need another reason to go on a murderous rampage.

Felix never knew exactly what to do or say to console someone. Sparring had helped him after he lost his brother, so he hoped that continuing to show up for their daily training sessions would be enough.

Though its priority had fallen compared to everything else, the thought of Byleth actually being his...soulmate...still plagued his mind. If she knew, it never showed even as she became more expressive.

His curiosity finally got the best of him on an upcoming mission. It wasn't even a big assignment, just rooting some bandits out of the mountains to the north. He'd rarely, if ever, gotten injured during their monthly battles partially thanks to her training, but this time would be different. His plan was simple: just receive one harmless intentional scratch, and he'd watch her for a reaction. But each time he was about to rush at an enemy to let them hit him, she'd bark at him to stay in formation, keep close to Mercedes or Annette, or form up with Sylvain.

By the third time it happened, he swore she could read his mind.

"You were reckless in the last battle," she said as they sparred the next day. It was strange enough that she'd been more conversational during a training session, but her voice was filled with more frustration than normal.

"Yeah," he huffed, "I'm getting stronger."

She unleashed a few more predictable strikes before backing off. "Strength doesn't mean you run ahead of your allies. There could've been ranged enemies or assassins out of sight, and no one would've been able to come to your aid in time. You could've left someone exposed on the front too."

She dove back into the offensive, but the more she berated him, the messier her form became. Her blows grew stronger but less precise.

"I'm not an idiot," he bit back. "I know how to handle myself."

"You were brash," Her normally stoic face gave way to furrowed eyebrows and flared nostrils, "and that's a very dangerous way to get in battle. Even if it's just against a few bandits."

"It wasn't like I was going to get myself killed."

At that, she threw her sword onto the ground in a clatter. "But you _did_ , Felix!"

Her sudden anger startled him. "What?"

She covered her mouth. The impassivity began to return as she bent down to pick up her sword. "Nothing. I meant that you easily could have."

Felix saw through the terrible attempt at a lie. Instead of mimicking her fighting stance to signal another round, he stood up straight and looked into her eyes.

"That's not what you said," he chided.

"Let's just spar again," she pleaded.

"Professor!"

After a moment, her arms fell, and she sighed.

"Three times," she glanced down. "I watched you die three times yesterday."

Felix froze as he absorbed the words that just came out of her mouth. There were more questions than answers, and it seemed she was aware of that.

"I can turn back time," she added. "It's a gift...from the goddess."

He would've thought she was crazy if it weren't for the fact that he'd watched her tear a hole through the sky with his own eyes. She'd performed battle feats with the Sword of the Creator, and though Felix couldn't care less for religion and the church, her hair having changed from teal blue to the goddess's light green was no coincidence.

Suddenly, every seemingly random command she'd shouted during battle didn't feel so random. Every assassin she'd miraculously seen lurking in the shadows had been a different kind of miracle. A tinge of vulnerability stung him as he realized she'd probably witnessed his final words, his final breath. How many students had she witnessed die, and how many times had she done this? Had she saved a life each time?

All of these questions lingered on the tip of his tongue but couldn't quite come out. None but a simple one. "How long?"

"I can't go back very far, less than a minute maybe," she rubbed her arm, "and I can't use it endlessly."

He bit his cheek to suppress a sarcastic response. "No, I mean how long have you been able to do this?"

Her eyes finally lifted to meet his. "Since before I became a professor here, when I saved the house leaders from those bandits."

 _That_ long? It'd been nearly a year. "Who else knows?"

She shook her head. "Only you."

He nodded in understanding. The few feet of space between them felt tense, like there was still too much left unspoken. Her eyes were jittery and turning more red with each second. Normally, he'd leave the job of emotional comfort to someone more capable, like Mercedes, but now it was just the two of them. He found himself wanting to atleast try, to step closer and rest a hand on her shoulder.

Instead he searched himself for the right words. "I'm sorry. You've been dealing with this alone for a long time, which probably hasn't been easy."

Her eyes widened at the sudden kindness. "I'm normally better at keeping my emotions in check, but ever since I changed, ever since my father…" she looked away again, and Felix felt he didn't deserve to be the one to see her walls crumble.

The night at the goddess tower, when she'd opened her shell a little and suggested making a wish together, he'd foolishly wished for nothing but to surpass her skill one day. He'd said he'd always be more comfortable holding a sword than a woman's hand, but now he felt unworthy to hold either.

She spoke again, pulling him out of the past. "When Monica - I mean Kronya - struck my father, I tried to go back to save him, but I failed. I would've kept trying for eternity, but the goddess only gave me one chance."

Felix crossed his arms. "She sounds cruel, this goddess or Fate or whatever you want to call her."

"Even her powers have their limits." A hint of a smile began to form on Byleth's face. "Sothis used to talk to me, you know, before she merged with me and did this." She pulled at her green hair. "I think you'd actually like her. She didn't hold back with her words, just like you."

Felix chuckled, "If you think the goddess and I are alike at all, then maybe you have gone crazy."

"Maybe," Byleth laughed, which set something off in Felix's mind. This was certainly a side to her that no one had seen, maybe including even herself. "Besides, fate isn't always cruel in the destinies it sets for you."

"I suppose not," Felix said with a raised eyebrow. She was somewhat smiling now, and her eyes were no longer on the verge of tears. "Are you...feeling better?"

She nodded. "Why don't you head to the cafeteria? I'll catch up in a minute. I just need some alone time to let off some steam."

"Suit yourself," he said and promptly re-racked his sword. "And, uh, I won't tell anyone." When she didn't respond right away, he assumed that was his cue to leave and made for the exit.

"Felix," she called as he reached the doors. "Thank you."

Heat crept up his face, and he hoped she was far away enough to not notice. "Anytime," he said. "Our class is lucky to have you."

It was undeniable now, soulmate or not, what the tingling in his chest was whenever she was around, and if she was anyone but his professor, he might have actually felt happy. Age might not have been a problem, but position surely was.

Felix wasn't Sylvain, impulsively indulging in every whim that fluttered through his mind. So he kept his distance, still absorbing all instruction and guidance he could get from her, all the while trying a little harder to make her job easier. He trusted her commands in battle more than he already had and scolded others for hesitating. He paid attention during her lessons on black magic, and he even accepted stable duty despite the horses' intrinsic dislike of him.

When her birthday came around and a new fishing rod appeared outside of her door, no one had ever figured out the identity of the anonymous giver.

* * *

**Lone Moon, 1180**

Felix didn't end up having to keep his distance for long, as everything at the monastery went to shit within the next couple of months. First, Rhea dragged Byleth into the holy tomb so she could receive some "divine revelation" that never came. Next they knew, Edelgard revealed herself to be the Flame Emperor, elevated herself to Empress of the Empire, and declared war on the church of Seiros.

Somehow, Felix always felt like he'd end up fighting Empire soldiers eventually. Instead of preparing for graduation, the next couple of weeks were spent preparing for the Empire's attack on Garreg Mach.

Felix and Byleth pushed the frontlines forward. Dimitri would've been with them, but he'd already gone rogue with a taste of bloodlust and revenge. He'd become obsessed with delivering Edelgard's head, rambling endlessly to no one but himself. Felix knew that side of the prince all too well, but he'd hoped he'd never have to see it again.

The battle had been going in their favor as Sylvain and Ingrid's groups cut off reinforcements from the side. While Byleth's sword whipped through the air to take down the flying units, Felix was fast enough to circle around the buildings and ambush long range archers from behind.

Unfortunately, when Edelgard finally came into view on the battlefield, so did the army behind her. In an instant, their defense of Garreg Mach turned into an evacuation. He stuck by Byleth's side, following her leadership, but also wanting to know she was safe.

Everything quickly became so frantic that Felix didn't even notice Rhea turn into a goddamn dragon until her roar shook the battlefield. And by the time he'd refocussed and turned back to Byleth, she was gone. Her mint hair gave away her position halfway down the battlefield to where Rhea had been pinned by monsters.

"Professor!"

If it weren't for the sea of students between them, he'd have followed her. His eyes caught Mercedes guiding a group of students while tending to the injured, and he knew where he was needed most. Byleth would be okay, he told himself. Everyone else needed to leave.

He was in the middle of leading the students' retreat when the pain hit him.

He'd fallen before. He'd been struck before. But this was _so_ much worse. An intense, horrifying, affliction took over his entire body in an instant. He could barely scream out in pain before he collapsed onto the ground. His muscles stiffened and convulsed uncontrollably. It felt like every bone in his body was breaking, being both pulled apart and pushed together at the same time.

"Felix!" He vaguely heard Mercedes' voice near him, but couldn't focus through the pain.

Slowly, the intensity subsided enough for him to open his eyes, only to find Mercedes' warm healing hands emitting a glow all over him. He looked over himself, surprised to find his body was still in one piece. She was calling for aid when she turned back to him.

"Felix, are you alright? What happened?"

"It's not me," he grunted as he tried to move. "The professor."

"The professor? But why would you feel-" his senses were only half-functional, but he still noticed her change in demeanor. "Oh. _Oh!_ I see."

Sylvain was at his side and helping him stand before Felix could say anything further, but fortunately Mercedes didn't bring it up again. All she did was ask someone to locate the professor as soon as possible while they made their retreat.

Of course, Byleth was nowhere to be found. Whispered rumors among students during their departure confirmed what he'd felt: that a powerful dark magic had blown her off of a cliff while she'd tried to help Rhea.

He couldn't deny their connection any longer, but he had the sinking feeling that that was the last phantom pain he'd ever feel.

* * *

The first day was utter agony. He waited for the familiar X-shaped scar to appear on his chest, identical to Ingrid's and Dimitri's, but his never came. She was alive, but he could imagine several fates worse than death. Just picturing her alone, suffering, broken, and bleeding out at the bottom of that cliff was enough to make him nauseous.

After a few days, Felix knew even she couldn't survive that long while severely injured, and a new scenario took hold in his mind: that she was on the move. He quickly ruled out the possibility of her being alone. Even if her broken bones had somehow fused back together, to trudge through the Faerghus wilderness during the winter _without_ injuring herself was impossible. They would've received word that she was with their allies as well, which left only one more scenario. She'd been taken.

Out of the church, the Alliance, and the Empire, the latter was the worst-case scenario. The Alliance was unpredictable, but Edelgard was the one who'd started the war. A new wave of nausea hit him thinking of every unknown.

But it was too late to turn around. He had to continue northward until he reached the Fraldarius Dukedom. As much as he didn't want to face his father again, he atleast had to do so for his mother's sake. The Boar had been long gone since the battle, headed either straight for Enbarr or Fhirdiad. Eventually he, Sylvain, Ingrid, and Mercedes split as well, until Felix arrived alone at his family's estate.

And so he waited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are so many scenes I wanted to add to this. I reached a point where I realized this is either gonna be a 15k fic or a 60k fic, and I had to stop somewhere haha. I apologize if pre-timeskip feels a little skipped through, but post-timeskip will be much longer because that's where the ~pining~ happens.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and happy Felileth Week!


	2. Chapter 2

**Ethereal Moon, 1185**

Nothing but the tromping of horses' hooves and the gentle rustling of branches could be heard as the old trio of friends made their way through the forest surrounding Garreg Mach. The nearly abandoned town at the base of the mountain had barely paid them any mind, despite the elegant armor and bright Galatea, Gautier, and Fraldarius colors decorating their persons

As the monastery first came into view, still too far to tell what had survived the war thus far, Ingrid broke the silence. "I wonder how much has changed."

"Knowing Edelgard, the cathedral's probably gone." Sylvain pulled his horse alongside hers and nudged her. "Though, I'll bet Seteth's still holed up in his office."

"We'll be lucky if anything's left," Felix said, keeping his senses more focussed on his surroundings than on his companions.

Dawn broke over the horizon as they made their way up the mountain. With Sylvain and Ingrid falling in line on either side of Felix, all were eerily silent as they took in their academy for the first time in five years.

Even after all that time, Felix knew Byleth was still alive. So when his two friends arrived at his family estate's doorstep and told him they were going to Garreg Mach to keep their promise for the Millenium Festival, he'd practically already had a horse ready to go. He'd promised his mother that he'd be back in a few week's time, no more, and was out the door before his father could say a word.

As they approached, he could already tell the monastery had been long abandoned. The normally well-kept walls surrounding the fortress had half-crumbled and been overgrown by trees, vines, and bushes. By how difficult it was to see the stone path underneath their horses' hooves, he surmised that the road to the gates had seen little traffic.

"Do you think the others made it?" Ingrid asked.

"Knowing the Blue Lions, everyone's gonna try their best," Sylvain responded. "We promised we'd reunite in five years."

"If only Dimitri and the professor…" she trailed off.

"Hey, don't think too much about that," Sylvain said. "If they were alive and well, I'm sure they'd-"

"The professor's alive," Felix interrupted.

"What?!" They both exclaimed.

"How do you know?" Sylvain raised an eyebrow at him.

"Did she contact you?" Ingrid asked, leaning closer in her saddle.

"What, I never told you?" If he wasn't wearing a turtleneck underneath his coat and sword belt, he'd have shown them. "There's no scar on my chest."

Felix didn't bother to look at their faces for a reaction and cherished the moments of silence before their verbal onslaught.

"Wait. You...and the professor?!" Ingrid asked.

"Woah dude! So scandalous, I didn't know you had it in ya." Sylvain held his hand up for a high-five, which was promptly left hanging.

"We haven't done anything, you dolt," Felix grumbled. "I didn't know until she'd already gone missing."

"So when you collapsed after the battle...?" Sylvain, smarter than most gave him credit for, was already making the connections in his head.

"Exactly," Felix finished for him.

"I must say," Ingrid stroked her chin and giggled, "I can see you two together. After all your talk of sparring your soulmate when we were kids, I guess it finally came true."

The warmer Felix's face felt, the more he wanted this conversation to end swiftly. He'd have bandits ambush them if it meant it could be over.

"More importantly," Sylvain interjected, "soulmate or not, do you...y'know... _like_ her?"

Felix could practically hear Sylvain wiggling his eyebrows in his question. "Doesn't matter when she's missing," he said bluntly.

"Oh, that means 'yes' from Felix!" Ingrid shouted, causing him to slouch and grumble even further.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot up his hip, and Felix jumped in his saddle. "Ow, Sylvain! Watch where your lance is floating around when you're riding. With all the training you went through, you think you'd know better."

"What?" Sylvain asked. "I didn't do anything."

Felix turned, and sure enough, the blade of Sylvain's lance was properly mounted on his back, far away from Felix's hip. He rubbed the sore spot, but found no sign of injury.

"Then what-" he stopped and turned to the monastery. He had no reason to believe she was actually there, only that she was alive and fighting, but a deep part of him knew that, somehow, she'd kept her promise.

Five years.

It took five years for her to finally answer him in the only way she could. For the first time, Felix felt relieved at the pain that didn't belong to him. He kicked his horse and sprinted up the hill without another word to his companions, oblivious to the smirks they shared behind his back.

When the rubble became too much of an obstacle for his steed, the swordsman leapt out of the saddle and sprinted into the ruins. The growing sounds of combat gave him hope. Maybe it was just wishful thinking, but he swore he could hear her voice yelling among the clanging of metal and cries of battle. He had to get a better vantage point. Making his way up one of the taller ruined buildings, he made quick work of a very surprised group of bandit archers.

He took in several details when he looked out onto the battlefield.

First, quite a few bandits had come to make the monastery ruins their new home.

Second, the boar prince was somehow still alive. Or atleast what was left of him, as the ragged beast of a man shredded his way through battle and growled at anything that moved.

Third, Byleth was alive. His gut instinct about Byleth had been right, for flashes of her mint hair and the glow of her sword left bandit bodies in their wake. He didn't even notice the other Blue Lions on the battlefield.

She was trying to fight alongside the Boar, but his haphazard swinging of his lance forced her to wisely keep her distance. The Sword of the Creator whipped in her hand as she cut down bandit after bandit.

Five years of pent up emotions came bearing down on Felix's heart all at once: immense relief that she was alive and well, followed immediately by anger that she'd never even once contacted him.

Why was she with the Boar, anyways? Why would she choose to join him and not the rest of the Blue Lions? Why not join the swordsman who'd trained with her all year, stuck by her side, and kept her deepest secret? His face warmed as his hand gripped his blade even tighter.

The fighter instinct in him flared to distract from his emotions, and he realized he'd been standing still for far too long. Ridding the monastery of bandits had to come before any sort of conversation. She had yet to notice Felix standing a few levels above her, but she did notice an axeman begin to charge at her and readied her sword.

Felix leapt from the wall and landed right in front of the assailant. With a swing of his blade and a twist of his body, he cut through the man's chest like butter and threw the body aside. The silence that followed seemed to slow time, and Felix stood to face the woman who'd haunted him for five years.

The glow of her sword faded, and her stance faltered.

"Felix…"

All it took was a simple recital of his name, and most of the anger he'd felt moments before dissipated. Her voice held no betrayal, only relief and a hint of remorse.

"You came back," she added, with a closed smile that was more expressive than he'd ever seen from her before. Everything else about her looked exactly the same as they did five years ago, right down to the armour she'd donned before battle. She hesitated in stepping closer, and he realized he had yet to respond.

He nodded, "That makes two of us."

* * *

The time to talk would come later. For the moment, most of his pressing questions had already been asked by the other Blue Lions after they'd ridded the monastery of bandits.

_Where have you been?_ _**Sleeping.** _

_Why sleeping?_ _**I...don't know.** _

_What about your fall?_ _**I'm here fighting now. That's all that matters.** _

Byleth resolved to end the war and make Garreg Mach their base of operations. The first night was spent just making their old dorms livable again. It wasn't the large, warm, well-staffed Fraldarius estate, but Felix felt more at home in the small dusty room than he'd felt since the war had started. He penned a letter home to inform his parents of what had transpired and that he wouldn't be home anytime soon, noting to send it as soon as a courier arrived.

Instead of going to bed, however, he visited the training grounds. Despite nature's reclamation of the benches, pillars, and targets, the structure still held up after five years. He ran his hand along the weapons rack. Training weapons were of little to no use to bandits, so they'd been left mostly untouched. Only bowstrings and a few sword handles had been removed.

The night was clear and quiet, so Felix startled when the doors to the grounds opened with loud protest. Instead of more bandits, however, Byleth's seafoam green hair was what peeked through the door.

"I thought I'd find you here," she said.

She'd been looking for him this late? He'd expected not to see her for days. Babysitting the Boar and convincing him not to march straight to Enbarr would require more of her attention, and Felix wasn't going anywhere - atleast he hoped she knew that. Still, jealousy stung him everytime he thought of her trying to console the Boar, and he couldn't deny the warmth he felt in his chest when she closed the door behind her.

"Old habits die hard," he shrugged.

She kept her distance, and there was the same hesitance to her posture that he'd seen during the bandit fight. Did she expect him to be angry with her? _Was_ he angry with her? Or was five years without any closure simply too long to let go of in one night?

For what felt like an eternity, the silence hung between them. Just like when she'd told him about her time-altering powers, dozens of questions cluttered his mind but disintegrated in his throat.

Finally, she broke the silence. "Did my fall hurt you?"

Getting right to the point, was she? He appreciated her skipping the small talk.

So many revelations came in one simple question. One, she'd figured out their connection before the last battle - and of course she had, she'd watched him die. Two, she never told him, never even hinted that she knew. Three, his feelings hadn't changed at all in five years.

"It hurt like hell, Byleth." He realized he hadn't said her actual name out loud before, and it turned both of their faces red. "How the hell'd you survive that?"

She chuckled. Actually, genuinely chuckled, and he made a correction to his earlier conclusion. His feelings _had_ changed in five years. They'd grown.

"I could ask you the same," she said. "I was worried, but I'm glad you're safe."

"You can thank Mercedes for that. I'm...glad you're okay too. I knew you were alive, obviously, but being missing..." he paused, not wishing to consider the fates worse than death that his mind had conjured up over five years.

"I'm sorry for leaving, and for hurting you, in more ways than one."

Felix glanced up at the open sky above them, and she followed suit. It was dark and unobstructed, allowing them to see every star the open roof of the training grounds would allow them. "It's not your fault. The world's changed, but you're back and that's more than we've had so far."

She turned her attention from the night sky to him, but still kept the same arms-length distance. "So," she said, "what happens now?"

She was no longer his professor. But even though their positions were no longer compromised, there was still a chasm the size of a continental war standing between them. He approached the weapon rack and removed two practice swords. They were old and covered in cobwebs, but still sturdy and usable.

"What happens is you spar me. Your lessons have helped keep me alive during the war, but no doubt your five-year nap has made your form sloppy. It's my turn to help you now."

"Felix," she sighed. Even the way she said his name now differed from before.

"We have a war to win." Instead of tossing a sword to her like he normally would have, he walked right up to her and offered the hilt. "Until then, you'll have my sword."

Without breaking eye contact, she accepted the blade, brushing over his hand with her own. "And after?"

The warmth of her hand was enough to tempt him to ask for more, but he resisted. If he could wait five years, he could wait however long it took to end this war. He couldn't break away from her hypnotic gaze even if he wanted to. He swallowed hard and summoned all the courage and vulnerability he had to say his next words.

"After it's over, you can have anything else you want from me."

* * *

**Pegasus Moon, 1185**

Over the next few weeks, allies were gathered, and the restoration of the monastery began. While others focussed on repairing the cathedral, making the dorms livable, and gathering food, Felix poured all of his time into the training grounds, silly as it might've seemed. Returning soldiers would need somewhere to train, and the old, rusted, rotted, and overgrown area would never suffice. While supplies and craftsmen were short, he resorted to repairing practice swords and stringing bows on his own.

When Byleth followed him into the training grounds and didn't immediately pick up a sword, it could only mean she wanted to talk, which made him nervous.

"Need me for something?" He asked without pulling his attention away from his warm up sets.

"We're short on troops and supplies," she stated bluntly. "Edelgard nearly sent us back to square one with her assault last month. We need support that isn't from our friends or the church. We need support from the Kingdom."

Felix froze. She'd come to him before to talk battle tactics, but never politics. The only reason she'd bring up the Kingdom was if-

"We need to reach out to Lord Rodrigue."

Felix resumed his strikes on the practice target. "We're better off without my old man, trust me."

"Fhirdiad is in disarray, and the other territories are struggling to survive," she said. "The Fraldarius territory is in a better state than the others, and it's possible they could spare some knights. Plus," she paused and dropped her shoulders, "he knows Dimitri. If I can't talk sense into him, maybe he can."

It was always about the Boar with everyone, wasn't it? Of course, from a tactician's perspective, she was right, but it didn't make the dread weighing on his chest any easier.

He turned to face her. "Do what you have to, just don't make me talk to him. And don't tell him about our...you know."

A smirk pulled at her lips. "Our what?" she asked, followed by the most pitiful attempt at a wink that Felix had ever seen.

He turned away before the warmth could show itself on his cheeks. "Exactly."

While fighting off the Empire's ambush through the Valley of Torment, Felix almost forgot they came there to rendezvous with his father. He'd thought the 'torment' part meant monsters, not the blazing heat that would burn through his boots if he stood still for too long.

Byleth reacted quickly to the ambush. While she took the northern path, Felix led a second group to circle around to the east. He sprinted across the hardened lava easily, clearing the path of archers while his teammates fired arrows and magic at the fighters that rushed him. The ground was hazardous in every direction, and glancing across the second pool of lava to more enemies made Felix dread the thought of fighting in the heat any longer.

That was, until a war horn sounded, and a cavalier battalion bearing the Kingdom's crest came barrelling into the valley from the far side. Even if his father was a part of it, Felix accepted the help. After flanking the Empire's troops, their combined forces made quick work of them.

Watching Byleth converse with his father gave Felix a whole new sense of discomfort, especially when the old man kept glancing back and forth between Felix and Byleth. So he settled with folding his arms and refusing to make eye contact. He'd lived with the man for the past five years; there was no need for a family reunion.

When Byleth left to assess the rest of their troops, Felix moved to follow her, but his old man held him back.

He leaned in and spoke in a hushed tone. "That's her, isn't she? Your... _sword_ -mate?"

Felix jerked his shoulder out of the man's grasp, but the knowing grin never left his father's face. "Shut up. You don't know what you're talking about. And that's a horrible joke."

"I saw her out there. She fights good."

"She's better than good," Felix corrected, which only caused his father to smile more. "It's none of your business."

"Oh I'm aware," he said. "I just...you seem different. Happier. I'm glad you found someone who understands you."

That was it? The lack of comment on how great a knight she'd be for the Kingdom, or her non-chivalrous conversational skills, or even her crest surprised Felix. He felt his face turn warmer, and his father didn't stop him when he turned away that time.

"Thanks," he muttered under his breath before quickly moving towards any other group in sight.

* * *

**Lone Moon, 1185**

Felix awoke with shortened breath. He'd dreamt of drowning before, but the sensation of restrained breathing usually disappeared when consciousness came. He felt pressure on his throat and pinching on the sides of his neck, almost like someone was holding a hand to his -

_Byleth!_

Felix jumped out of bed, grabbed his sword, and darted out of his room. The rapid movement and lack of air nearly caused him to collapse, but he pushed through. He didn't care how loud his footsteps may or may not have been as he passed everyone's rooms and nearly leapt down the stairs out of the quarters. He didn't even notice when he could breathe again.

_There's only one place she'd be this late._

As he crossed the bridge to the cathedral, he caught her figure walking hurriedly, eyes down, in the opposite direction. She held her waist with one hand and rubbed her throat with the other.

He slowed and grabbed her arm as he passed her.

"Byleth!" she nearly jumped off of the bridge from surprise, but he held her arm tight. When she finally showed her red face, he fought the urge to go inside and run his blade through the boar prince himself. "Are you okay?"

She dropped her hand from her neck, revealing the red hand-sized mark circling her throat. "I startled him, and he thought I was Edelgard." She looked away again. "I'm fine, just a light bruise. Nothing to worry about."

"I felt it," he said, "but even if I didn't, I'd still know that's a bullshit lie." He was trying to be comforting, he really was, but he could still hear the rising anger in his voice.

"I said I'm fine," she stared up at him. "I can handle myself. I don't need a knight, Felix."

Felix grumbled, "I'm not trying to be- that's not the point!" She'd obviously picked those words on purpose. "You don't look fine."

She sighed. Realizing he was still gripping her arm, he released her and was surprised when she didn't pull away. The last thing she probably needed was another man yelling at her tonight.

"I need to let off some steam," she said in a low voice. "Come spar with me?"

Felix realized he hadn't changed before rushing over and only wore his black turtleneck and teal trousers. He could spar in anything, though his face grew warm as he realized just how underdressed he was in front of her.

He turned to the cathedral and gripped his sword tighter. "In a minute," he said and made his way towards the Boar's lair, ignoring Byleth's pleas to leave him be.

The beast of a man was pacing frantically at the front of the cathedral by the fallen rubble, pulling at his hair and mumbling incoherently to himself. Whether the actions were from remorse or not, Felix didn't care.

"Hey!" Felix's shout went ignored. Whatever voices Dimitri thought he heard were obviously screaming louder. He walked up to the man and pushed him against the rubble. He managed to catch the Boar off-guard and make him stumble, but he doubted he'd be able to pull it off again. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Dimitri recovered and towered over Felix, but the swordsman was unrelenting in his stance and gaze. The Boar possessed frightening strength with his crest, but Felix could stand against him in a fight with a crest of his own.

"Give me a reason I shouldn't run you through with my blade right now, Boar."

"Come to rescue the soulmate, have we?" He finally spoke, his voice more feral than Felix had heard. "I'd like to see you try."

He was trying to egg him on, just another excuse to turn into the violent animal that he was. Felix narrowed his eyes. "That intimidation might work on others, but you don't scare me. And you certainly don't scare her."

The Boar growled and turned around. "Then this is the lot she's chosen."

Felix wasn't letting him off that easily. He circled back around his front, trying to force the man to look at him. "She'll keep coming back. She still believes in you for whatever reason, so the others believe in you too. But let me get one thing clear." He grabbed the front of Dimitri's armour and pulled his face down to Felix's level. "I don't," he spat. "I'm here for her and the Blue Lions, that's it. I can't stop her from coming back in here every night, but if you hurt her again, the Blaiddyd bloodline _will_ end on my blade."

The Boar grumbled and pushed Felix off of him. "The Blaiddyd in me died long ago."

"You're pathetic," Felix huffed and made to leave the cathedral. Before he reached the last row of pews, however, he turned around to spit out one final thought. "It should've been you at Duscur, not Glenn."

The Boar didn't move, but his head hung low. "For once," he said, "we have something to agree on."

Byleth turned quickly when Felix barged through the doors to the training grounds. He still hadn't bothered to change. She cast a quick glance to his clean sword, not covered in Dimitri's blood, and breathed out a sigh of relief.

"What did you say?" she asked as he traded his blade for a wooden training sword.

"The usual. You ready to train?"

An appreciative smile crossed her face, signalling that she was thankful for the change in subject. Felix only got to take it in for a second, however, as her blade met his quickly after. He'd only seen her this frustrated during a match after her father had died, but now she was much more focussed. More controlled. Her anger channelled into a burst of energy, and after confronting the Boar, Felix couldn't deny that he felt an adrenaline rush too.

They danced around one another silently until she closed in on him and spoke as their blades crossed.

"Listen, I've thought it over, and…" she paused, "I wouldn't be opposed to it, if you want to stick close by whenever I try to talk sense into Dimitrit."

She retreated and waited for his response, whether with action or words. Heat crept up his face. Was she actually asking him to…? He cleared his throat before he could let it show.

"I'd prefer if you didn't approach him at all, but sure." He lunged back toward her, anticipating her sidestep and pivoting his swing to catch her off guard. She saw this move coming and met his blade with a loud crack. "What made you change your mind?" he couldn't help but to ask out of curiosity.

Now it was her turn to blush. She pushed back and turned on the offensive towards him. Despite her swift blows, Felix found satisfaction in timing his parries just right.

"Everything about this war is chaotic," she said as she swung. "There are so many unknowns, and despite being a stand-in for the Archbishop, I know nothing about politics or religion." Right when he expected her to strike high, she faked it, ducked low and swiped his feet. Next he knew, his back hit the dirt, and her blade pointed to his throat. Damn her and her distractions.

"I don't need a knight to keep me safe, because defending myself and forming battle tactics are all I know how to do," she offered her hand. "What I need is stability within all of this turbulence. And that, Felix, is what you give me."

Throughout his entire life in noble society, Felix had been showered in shallow compliments. Countless "friends" admired his possessions, families with available daughters praised his looks and family, and every warrior glorified his crest. But in that moment with his ass in the dirt, Felix had never felt more flattered, because the strongest woman he knew had just said that she needed him.

He took her hand and stood, still holding his sword in the other, and wasn't sure which one he felt more comfortable holding.

* * *

**Great Tree Moon, 1186**

The long, gruesome battle at Gronder Field had finally settled.

Between the heavy fog and the clashing colors, it was difficult to tell friend from foe, especially from the Alliance's side. Luckily, Felix and Ashe were quick to take the hill, and Byleth was able to confront Claude and convince him to stand down before any major bloodshed could happen between the Kingdom and Alliance.

He'd heard Edelgard call for a retreat with his own ears. Still, something felt off, like the air had become too still. Too quiet. He circled the top of the hill, where Ashe still manned the large armament, but saw no immediate threats from where their and the Alliances' armies had come.

"Um...Felix?" Ashe's voice shook, and Felix turned to find the archer facing the one side he hadn't checked yet, where the Empire's forces had retreated. At first glance nothing stood out. With most of their forces still scattered throughout the field, the only people there were Byleth and the Boar.

The Boar, kneeling before a large pool of blood.

With long black hair draped over his lap.

Felix's heart stopped. In a rare moment of powerlessness where he had control over neither his mind nor body, he gripped his sword tight and ran to them. The image became clearer as his tunnel vision narrowed in. The Boar cradled his father, whose eyes were closed and abdomen was stained red with blood. Byleth stood over the slain body of the girl who'd joined their ranks not a few days ago, and the Sword of the Creator dripped with fresh blood.

"She was an assassin...after Dimitri," Byleth spoke softly. "Rodrigue stepped in the way. He…" she left the thought unfinished and merely gave Felix space to process it all.

"Dad…?"

Byleth looked to him wordlessly with deep regret in her eyes. She stepped aside to give him space, but he didn't need to get any closer. His father was already gone. He didn't need to hold the man and beg for him to stay, for the Boar had already taken that.

"Don't leave. Don't join the others," the prince pleaded endlessly.

He wouldn't get to hear his father's last words, because the Boar had already gotten them. Just another thing that was taken away from him because of the prince. Maybe his soured relationship with his father had taken away that right.

The Boar looked up from his sobbing and met Felix's eyes. "Felix, I'm…"

The swordsman turned and ran before another word could be spoken. No time seemed to pass before he made it back to camp. He barely filled his horse's pack with essentials. "I'm going ahead back to the monastery," he told the watch, and didn't wait for a response before urging his horse to a gallop.

* * *

Felix wasn't sure how long he'd been in the training grounds, but he continued to unleash on the practice dummies even as the rain drenched him. Usually some kind of emotional relief accompanied this outlet, but not this time.

The rain came down hard, soaking his hair and clothes. It probably would've been cold too, if Felix hadn't felt completely numb. Through the loud pitter-patter of the heavy downpour, the creaking of the doors to the training grounds could still be heard. He didn't have to guess who it was, especially this late.

"Leave me alone," he barked. "Don't you have a boar to console?"

"Dimitri's resting in his room," Byleth said, "as should you."

After unleashing a heavy set onto his target, he lowered his sword and turned around. She stood at the entrance still, just out of the rain, but she looked more soaked than he did. By her appearance, it was clear that whatever conversation she'd had with the Boar had not been brief, and by her face, it hadn't been easy either. Deep down, he knew that the Boar sleeping in his own room instead of the ruined cathedral for once was a huge step, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

"Glad my old man's sacrifice afforded the prince a comfortable nap."

"Felix, I'm so sorry," she stepped into the rain. Her voice held no judgment or pity, and he was finding it more difficult to direct his anger at her. "I tried to go back and save him, I did."

"I don't-" he sighed and pinched his brow, "I don't blame you."

She stepped closer. "It's okay to be angry. I was when I lost Jeralt, even if I might not have shown it."

Right, Felix wasn't the only one in the room who'd lost a father. It'd been over five years since Jeralt was killed, but to Byleth, her grief probably still felt fresh. Felix hadn't done much to help her in her grief, other than...

He turned and pointed his blade at her. "Spar with me."

She looked to him with concern, then to the sky from where the rain still poured. "Right now?"

"Yes."

"If it's what you need." She walked over to the training rack and picked up a sword without further protest. She took her stance and waited, showing no signs of exhaustion. Felix matched her stance, but couldn't bring himself to start. A part of him wanted her to strike first, but her eyes challenged him.

_If this is really what you need, then you start._

Tremors shook throughout his body, and they weren't from the cold. He wanted to fight. Needed to. It was the only thing he could do well, and if he didn't become strong enough…

He dropped his sword and gripped his hair in frustration. "How many men in my family have to die for him?!" he shouted. Byleth relaxed her stance and lowered her blade.

"Felix…" There she was again, saying his name with such tenderness.

"And don't tell me he died for what he believed in." Felix turned around and began pacing. "You can phrase it anyway you want, but it's all the same bullshit to me. They shove those ideals down every young knight's throat to convince them that being expendable is a noble cause."

"Felix."

"I suppose my father's happy now, dying like he always wanted to." He wasn't even speaking to her anymore, just yelling into the air as his vision began to blur. "He and Glenn are probably laughing it up now, comparing war stories and waiting for my turn to come around."

"Felix!"

"What?!" He turned around, only to find her standing right in front of him.

Without warning, she pulled his head down to her shoulder. One hand held his neck while the other ran through his hair. She smelled like earth and pine beneath her soaked exterior, and his first instinct was to fall into her and pull her closer with his own arms.

Still, some paranoia deep inside of him kept him stiff. "Byleth," he said, "we can't-"

"Shh," she quieted him with gentle strokes through his hair, which she'd managed to pull out of its bun without him noticing. "Just this once."

She held him there, not with her strength, but with each gentle glide of her fingers along his head and neck, with her natural welcoming warmth, with her voice that kept him grounded. He yielded with a quiet grunt and relaxed into her hold. His arms found her waist and pulled her closer. The cold rain mixed with his warm tears on her shoulder, and he hoped she couldn't tell the difference.

Of course she could; she just wouldn't say so for his sake.

He could've held her like that all night. For the moment, they weren't just tacticians and swordsmen, but two soulmates who embraced fate only for each other. Felix understood, and he wished more than ever that she'd still want him after his sword had fulfilled its purpose. Her hold on him never let up as his breathing settled. The numbness in his body slowly faded, replaced with another sensation - cold.

It was freezing in the pouring night rain. If he was cold in his Faerghus coat, then she must have been frigid in her cloak and shorts.

"We should get out of the rain," he said against the crook of her neck and reluctantly pulled back when she agreeably hummed next to his ear.

Their eyes met as they separated, with his hands still on her waist and hers now resting on his shoulders. If he wanted, he could indulge himself only a little more. All it would take was to lean in a few inches.

But she began to shiver, barely noticeable if his hands weren't on her, and he pulled his mind out of fantasy. His cloak, soaked as it was, was still dry on the underside, so he unclasped it and draped it over her shoulders. They walked back to the old dorms together, reaching her room on the ground floor first. When she stepped inside, she turned and began to remove his cloak.

"Keep it. Uh... atleast for tonight." He scratched his head. "It's gonna be colder than usual, and I'm used to Faerghus winters."

She paused, then pulled the white furt that lined the hood more tightly around herself. "Okay. Thank you, Felix."

He took in her form, specifically how Fraldarius colors suited her well, and committed it to memory. "No, thank you," his gaze rested on her face, trying to communicate how much he truly meant his words, "Byleth."

With that, he bade her goodnight and left her to her rest. Inside and up the stairs to his room, he passed Dimitri's door and paused. No sound came from within, no candlelight, no one-sided ramblings. The Boar really was sleeping for once, and he had no idea how Byleth had managed to quell those demons.

* * *

**Harpspring Moon, 1186**

Like so many other times before, Byleth continued to do the impossible and helped Dimitri back from rock bottom.

The first sign was when the Boar stood before everyone and apologized. Actually apologized. For all Felix knew, they were just more empty words to mask his demons, but the look of pride on Byleth's face made him believe that she'd actually gotten through to him. Then he vowed to take back Fhirdiad for the Kingdom before marching to Enbarr. Then he began attending the war council daily.

Felix didn't believe any of it was real until the day they invaded Fhirdiad and Dimitri reclaimed his throne. At first, the swordsman felt revolted at the citizens welcoming the Boar back, chalking it up to gratefulness at being relieved of Cornelia's "rule". But again, a stolen glance at Byleth and her steadily brightening smile made him silence his thoughts.

No one had ever made him second guess himself like she could.

The Boar vowed to win the war before taking his place as king, and so the long march to Enbarr began. Among their old friend circle, no one was more happy and relieved at Dimitri's progress than Ingrid. He had to admit that it was hopeful seeing a sliver of his childhood friend, remnants of a time before he became a boar.

He just wished his father hadn't had to die for it to happen.

* * *

**Verdant Rain Moon, 1186**

The battle through the city of Enbarr was going surprisingly well. Thanks to Byleth's leadership, they'd pushed through to the castle gates before more reinforcements could be called. As soon as they infiltrated the castle, however, it became clear why the city just seemed _too easy_ to take.

Not only were elite mele soldiers guarding the throne room, dark mages were everywhere, and they brought with them no shortage of beasts and ranged spells that seemed to pass through walls.

Still, they persevered, flanking the central chambers through the courtyard and inner hallways. The further in they went, however, the more Byleth appeared visibly worried, and by the time their front lines had nearly reached the throne room, she was practically shaking.

"Byleth," he grabbed her arm, "what's wrong?"

She startled at first, but recovered quickly when she met his gaze. "The throne room," she said.

He glanced at the large red double doors. Based on her expression, she already knew what awaited inside.

"How many times have you gone back?"

She shook her head, "Too many. I don't know how much I have left in me."

He took in their surroundings. Their allies had the outer chamber handled for now, so they had time. "Tell me what happens."

"Dimitri rushes in alone," she began. "Without proper support, heavily armoured units slow his approach while arrows and magic overwhelm him from afar. He goes down before he even reaches her throne."

"I'm guessing you already tried ordering the Boar to wait."

She nodded. "If he waits for Dedue, it gives Edelgard enough time to prepare a shockwave that nearly levels the castle. He needs to go in and take her down."

"Black magic support could certainly help," Felix speculated. "Have you tried sending Annette in with him?"

Byleth nodded. "She saves Dimitri, but she's not dexterous enough to avoid the arrows."

"How far along are Ingrid and Ashe through the interior hallways?"

"They arrive shortly, but it's not enough time."

Felix nodded, painting the picture in his head.

"There's one more thing," Byleth said. "More mages pour in from the hallway to the right. Unless someone rushes there and holds them off until Sylvain and Mercedes arrive through the courtyard, everyone will just get overwhelmed again." She gripped her head in frustration. "No matter what, someone goes down."

"There's one thing you haven't tried," Felix said. She looked up at him intently. "You need someone versed in black magic, but quick on their feet and skilled in close combat at the same time." He gripped her shoulders. "Byleth, I said you'll have my sword. Use me."

"Felix, of all the people to lose…"

"I have the best chance. Don't choose someone else to die for my sake." He went over the mental image once more. "If I rush in with Dimitri, I could hope that the archers are positioned close enough and take them out at once with magic. Then rush the side hallway to hold off those reinforcements with my sword. It's risky, but it might afford us enough time to - hey, are you okay?"

Byleth had gasped. Once he turned his attention back to her, tears had already begun to stream down her face. She gripped her midsection in pain, but no wound was there. Her other hand rested over her chest, right where...

"Felix," she said, desperately grabbing his collar. He didn't have to guess what she'd done. What she'd seen before she came back. What his fate would be if he ran into that room. Blood began to trickle from her nose. "I - I can't save you anymore if you go in there."

His mouth dried while his heart hammered in his chest. He opened his mouth to speak, but not before Dimitri burst through one of the doors. "Edelgard!" he shouted, "It's time for you to pay!"

They were out of time. Byleth paid the Boar no mind as he made his way to the throne room. Felix turned back to her, his hands still on her shoulders. "Hey, pull yourself together. You have a war to win."

The look in her eyes shifted from sorrowful to the familiar determination he'd seen a million times. In one motion, she tightened her grip on his collar, pulled him down, and kissed him desperately.

Bloody and sweaty as they both were, the sparks igniting all over his body sent him into a daze. His lips moved against hers just as fiercely, taking in as much of her as possible in their brief haven.

When she pulled back, she regarded him deeply. "Go," she commanded

He spoke before he could tempt himself to change his mind. "I'll make it out, but if I don't, just...don't say anything noble or chivalrous about me."

That managed to elicit a chuckle out of her, tragic as it was. Content with that being the last thing he ever heard from her, he released her, unsheathed his sword, and rushed in after Dimitri.

To no surprise, the Boar had already cut through the first line of mele soldiers with the lance Areadbhar. Just like Byleth had said, archers were already taking aim for the prince. They weren't as closely positioned as Felix had hoped, but he could manage. He stretched out his free hand and unleashed a Thoron spell in the center of their ranks. Though it only took out a couple, he'd atleast drawn their attention.

Dimitri noticed as well, and turned around in surprise. "Felix?!"

The swordsman came up beside him and readied another spell. "Don't be surprised to see me, Boar, I've been here the whole time."

The prince fought back another axeman. "Of course, but I didn't think you'd ever want to fight alongside me again."

Felix sidestepped the oncoming arrows easily before sending another Thoron towards approaching heavy armoured units. "This is bigger than you or me, and you know it."

Dimitri flashed a smile at him. "Well, I appreciate your aid regardless, as well as your friendship. Rest assured, I won't let another Fraldarius fall under my watch."

Felix huffed, keeping an eye on the right-side hallway for any mages. "Can't believe I'm saying this, but just focus on taking down Edelgard." He shot a quick glance to the throne. Whatever sat upon it somewhat resembled the empress, but the demonic monstrosity hardly resembled a human anymore. "Or whatever she is now."

Dimitri gripped Areadbhar tighter and continued to push forwards. "With pleasure."

A single arrow nicked Felix's shoulder, and he quickly turned and took out the remaining archers with his final two uses of Thoron. The energy in his palm dissipated, and he readied his sword.

He stayed close to Dimitri, engaging with the enemies on his blind side. Pain stung his leg with no physical source, and by that Felix knew that Byleth had picked up the battle in the previous chamber. He told himself she'd be fine. Dedue and Annette were still with her _._

Finally, a swordmaster entered from the right chamber, signalling Felix to move. He broke from Dimitri and rushed at the enemy. His opponent readied his weapon, prepared to face Felix and his sword, but not his magic. A boom of Thunder from Felix's fingertips threw him off of his feet enough for Felix to close the distance and drive his sword into his side, right where he knew the armour wouldn't cover him.

When the swordmaster fell, Felix addressed Dimitri. "Reinforcements are arriving from this side. I'll hold them off. You can handle this room until Ingrid and Sylvain arrive, right?"

Dimitri raised an eyebrow in amusement, "Of course," before using his lance's reach to impale an enemy healer. "You know, you kind of sounded like the professor just then."

Felix rolled his eyes, "Her name's Byleth," and made his way into the hallway, ignoring Dimitri's follow-up comments.

He paused at the threshold and steadied his breathing. Multiple footsteps were rapidly approaching from around the corner. Normally, Felix would've rushed through and tried to use the surprise to swiftly carve through their numbers, but he remembered the look on Byleth's face before and wondered if that decision would affect his chances of survival..

So he waited and listened for the steps to come closer, until he could practically hear the crackling of dark magic in their palms.

With an exhale, he turned the corner and met a mage face to face. Steel surpassed magic in speed as his blade impaled the first mage in the gut. In the valuable moment of surprise, Felix counted four remaining mages and used the momentum from retrieving his blade to rotate his body and slice through the second enemy's midsection.

Three remained. And though he now lost the advantage of surprise, he hoped that it had been enough.

Felix dodged their first two spells, but the mage in the back caught his shoulder with a Sagittae. He groaned and shook his arm from stasis. The advantage of the small space was that mages who were already terrible at dodging his sword were basically sitting practice dummies. His sword carved through the third mage and tossed their body to the side.

 _Don't worry about the scratches, By, I got this_.

Red embers hissed in the fourth mage's hands, and Felix was familiar enough with base fire magic to recognize it. The flaming sphere was hurled at him, but his feet were quick enough to sidestep its immediate danger. He closed in on the fire mage and ran his blade through them without hesitation, close enough to see the sudden fear in his eyes. Strangely enough, the mage's gaze wasn't directed at Felix, but behind him.

Felix turned to face the magic burning up the final mage's outstretched arms. He'd witnessed Sylvain cast Ragnarok enough times in battle by then, and his gut dropped. He glanced down to the dark circle forming beneath his feet, encasing both himself and the dying mage at the end of his blade. He'd walked right into a trap.

Dark magic erupted from the ground, throwing Felix into the tall stone ceiling. He landed with a loud thud, and his sword clattered to the ground beside him. Though his body burned all over and his sword arm protested any movement, his first instinct was still to retrieve his weapon before anything else. He'd run it through the mage on his dying breath if he had to.

Just as his hand reached for his blade, however, a spell he couldn't care to distinguish blasted him down the hallway. He hit the door that the mages had come through, and his assailant blocked the hallway.

Felix still had some magic at his disposal, but a simple Thunder barely slowed the mage's silent walk towards him. The crackling lightning on his fingertips faded, and his entire arm began to go numb. He didn't flinch under his impending defeat; he only felt disappointment for having two chances and failing at both.

"Sorry, Byleth," he whispered.

 _Atleast I'm not dying for the Boar_.

The mage's gate was suddenly stopped by a sharp, bone-covered spear jutting out of his chest. The enemy fell forward dead, and revealed Sylvain's red hair behind him. The two met eyes, and Sylvain's immediately widened. "Felix!" He ran to the swordsman's side before shouting down the hallway. "Mercedes! We need you in here!"

"You're late as always," Felix mumbled, resisting the impulse to cough up the blood at the back of his throat.

"And you look like shit," the tone was uncharacteristically serious for Sylvain until Mercedes ran around the corner with her hands already glowing. "But we're here now, buddy, so just relax."

The light emanating from her hands eased the pain substantially, but Felix only found himself drifting, tired, in a sudden need for rest.

"Felix," Mercedes glanced at the fallen mages, which by then more closely resembled a pile of dark red robes, "why would you take them all on your own?"

"Not _all_ of them," Sylvain interrupted.

Felix grumbled, deciding not to comment on the fact that Sylvain was instinctually holding Mercedes' hand nervously while she worked. "Does it matter? The hallway is clear now, and you two should get to the throne room."

Mercedes giggled, "So it was the professor."

"Who else would it be?" Atleast Sylvain's teasing had returned. "I get you were trying to impress her, but she'd be more impressed if you actually beat her in a match."

"I've won plenty of times."

Their taunting expressions stayed, but Mercedes withdrew her hands from them both once her spell had completed and stood. "They might need me in there. You," she pointed to Felix. "Rest."

"Go kick ass," Sylvain nodded. "I'll watch him."

Felix should've been able to hear the fighting on the other side of the thick stone wall, but still he found his senses fading. Once Mercedes rounded the corner to join the fray, he groaned. "I don't need a babysitter."

Sylvain chuckled. "Aw, someone needs a nap."

Felix rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but stifle a laugh. "Thanks, by the way. I-I really owe you."

"Anytime, buddy."

* * *

Byleth was there when he awoke, or atleast he could hear her.

He recognized her voice a short distance away, low and frustrated. Though he couldn't make out any words being spoken, he could tell she was arguing with someone. A light source burned behind his eyelids, so he opted to keep them closed.

Soon, the conversation ended, and Byleth's sharp footsteps came closer, seemingly entering whatever room he was being kept in. A sigh escaped from her, now very close to him.

When the lack of any other noises told him they were alone, he tried to speak. All that escaped, however, was a croak from the back of his throat.

"Felix?" a hand grabbed his arm, which he now realized was extremely sore.

He tilted his head in the direction of her voice and slowly opened his eyes. The face that met him was exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes and her hair left unkempt. Even so, her relief-filled gaze bore straight into his soul. She was beautiful.

"Hey, Byleth."

The corners of her mouth ticked up before she threw herself onto him. Pain revealed itself in a number of new places throughout his torso, but he couldn't bring himself to mind. With the pain, Byleth winced and retreated.

"Oh, sorry." A flush dusted her cheekbones, and he suspected he was in no better shape.

"Don't be." He tried to reach his arm around to keep her close, but found it to be restrained in a sling on the side. He grumbled in frustration, hating feeling so restricted.

"It hurt like hell, Felix," she smirked, "if you were wondering."

"You've handled worse." He examined his injuries before turning back to her. "Now we're even."

Byelth chuckled, but her expression was still stoic, trying to hide something more than just exhaustion. "We took Enbarr yesterday," she said softly.

Felix had assumed so, based on the relative peace of their environment. Since there was no way they'd have left the city so soon, he was likely set up in an impromptu infirmary within the city.

Another thought turned his face warm. "Then...the war's over." She averted her gaze and smiled, seemingly thawing his heart each time she did so. "Listen, Byleth, I…" his throat clamped up, and unravelling the knots between his thoughts and his words seemed impossible.

"I have to return to Garreg Mach." Byleth blurted out, saving him embarrassment.

"What?"

"Now that the war's over, I'm needed back there soon, just like Dimitri's needed in Fhirdiad."

"Then I'll go with you," he began to sit up, but Byleth easily pushed his shoulders back into his cot.

"No you...you need to stay and heal. It's already a long trip on horseback."

Felix grunted and retreated from her touch. "So what, it's just goodbye now? You got what you needed, so now you're leaving?"

Her eyebrows furrowed. "No, of course not!" she spoke loud enough to alert the clerics nearby. After a moment of silence, they returned to work, and Byleth continued. "I don't want to leave. You think I would…?"

Not based on their last interaction outside the throne room, but that seemed to be an elephant in the room that Byleth didn't want to address yet.

"I said you'd have my sword until after the war," he said. "It's fine if you don't want anything else."

Even he knew that was a terrible attempt at a lie from himself. He wanted her to want more. She'd seemed like she did, but maybe Felix had just been reading her wrong the entire time.

"And I have more to ask of you, Felix, but not until after you've healed."

Confused as he was, that was all the hope he needed. His hand that had pulled away slowly drifted back and covered hers that rested on the sheets. "Then...I'll come find you."

Her head perked up ever so slightly, and she turned her hand over to run her thumb along his fingers. "I'll be expecting a match."

* * *

**Horsebow Moon, 1186**

Byleth was absent the second time he awoke, and more than a dozen times after that.

Felix wasn't the only one left behind either, as Ingrid stayed to help Enbarr recover while Dimitri returned to claim his throne. It seemed the prince's recovery had affected Ingrid more than everyone else had initially thought. The two of them had kept their affections a secret, but they'd still proved that losing a soulmate didn't have to doom someone to a lifetime of loneliness. Regardless, Felix was just relieved to have a decent sparring partner while his body recovered.

Two weeks passed until he was healed enough to travel, and each moment not spent riding on horseback was spent training. His sword arm had lost some mobility, but the worst of the damage had subsided.

The week of travel flew by compared to his recovery period, and when he crossed the gates to Garreg Mach, he didn't even hand off his horse before sprinting past the marketplace.

"Lord Felix!" The gatekeeper caught his attention as he rushed through. "Glad to see you've made a full recovery!"

He nodded in acknowledgment. "Where's Byleth?"

"I was just getting to that, sir!" He straightened up. "The Archbishop awaits you in the training grounds."

Of course she was. He thanked the man and circled his way past the docks, cafeteria, and dormitories to make his way to the place they'd come to call a second home. He made a note to ask about her change in title later. There were more important things first.

He didn't even knock before he burst through the large double doors. She faced him expectantly from the other side, unsurprised by his entrance. He froze as she met him with a smile, and his breath caught in his throat.

"How's your sword arm, Fraldarius?" she asked.

"All healed," he said as he quickly strode over towards her. Just as she was within arm's reach, however, he was met with a training sword pointed to his chest.

"Show me."

His shoulders slouched, and he attempted to plead her with his eyes.

She smirked. "You said I could have anything else I wanted from you after the war's over."

"I did," he said, and he could practically feel the ring he'd bought for her burning a hole in his pocket.

She lowered her sword and nodded to the weapons rack. "Get me to yield, and I'll tell you," her smirk travelled up to her eyes.

This woman.

This woman would be the death of him.

"You know the way to a man's heart," he scoffed and made his way over to pick a weapon.

He barely gave her a chance to prepare before rushing in. As always, she easily outmaneuvered his opening strikes no matter how much he changed up his pattern. When she pushed back to take the offensive, however, Felix ducked under and pivoted to her left side, resuming his flurry in an attempt to throw her off balance.

"You'll have to forgive me," he teased, "I've been without my training partner for a couple of weeks."

"No excuses, Fraldarius," she huffed as she continued to parry each blow.

"You have to stop calling me that."

She smirked again, and Felix had the feeling that he'd fallen for some sort of bait. "Maybe you can call _me_ that instead," she whispered.

"What-" his heart stopped, and his sword faltered. She quickly took the opportunity to fight back. Now he was being forced on the defensive while she wore a victorious smug look on her face.

She quickly disarmed him and stepped back. "Again."

She _had_ baited him, and he felt both humiliated and impressed at the same time. Two could play at that game. If she could exploit his flustered state, he could exploit her overconfidence.

Their dance started all over again, and Felix couldn't care how much time had passed. Instead of regaining his composure and pushing back immediately like she wanted him to, he feigned to continue losing ground against her. He let her force him back almost all the way to the wall before changing position. A faked wide swing allowed him to duck low and step behind her.

She spun to meet him, but not before he could disarm her with a swift strike at her wrist. He savored her eyes widening as he closed in and held his sword to her neck. His other arm caged her in against the wall.

Her hands came up in defeat, but she wore a prideful smile. "I yield. Very good...Felix."

He couldn't care for flattery when he had another prize to claim. His weapon clattered to the ground next to hers, and his newly freed hand tilted her chin up to meet him.

"Tell me what you want from me."

Her face reddened, and she dug into her cloak pocket to pull out a silver chain. When she opened her hand, she revealed what dangled from it: a ring. Through it all, her softened gaze never broke from him before she gave her answer.

"Everything."

What appeared to be a simple silver ring was actually decorated with intricate carvings all around the band and embellished with amethyst gems around the center. Sunlight reflected off of it in prismatic colors.

"It belonged to my mother," she said. "It's too small for you for now, so I-"

Her sentence was left unfinished as Felix claimed her lips with his own. Compared to the rushed, desperate, and battle-worn kiss they'd first shared, now he could fully draw her into all of his senses and kiss her exactly how he wanted.

At the same time, he realized just how inexperienced he was at kissing. What he expected to be a perfect, passion-filled kiss came out to missing the center of her lips by a few centimeters, and he was unsure of how to actually move his lips against hers. Still, she didn't seem to care as she met him in the middle. A slight tilt of his head gave him the angle he sought. Despite the messy start, the fire burned in his chest all the same. His face grew warm, and he had to come up for air sooner than expected, still out of breath from sparring her.

As a reassurance to him, her face was just as red.

"Even when I notch a win against you," he breathed, "you still beat me to the punch."

Before she could say anything, he finally pulled out the ring he'd commissioned. He wasn't going to let her get another win if he could help it.

"You want everything? Well, I want to give you everything." He swallowed and took her hand in his. "I-I love you, Byleth."

A simple phrase made his face warmer still, but he claimed his second victory for the day. That time, it was she who moved to take his lips first. Already, kissing her felt almost as natural as wielding a sword, and he wanted nothing more than to get this ring out of his hand and onto her finger so he could pull her closer.

"I love you too," she breathed between kisses.

"So is that a 'yes'?"

He felt her smile against his lips. "I asked you first."

He groaned with impatience. She knew just how to tease him. "Yes, let's get married and stay together until we die."

Her coy smile gave way to a brighter one. One that Felix wouldn't get tired of seeing anytime soon. "I accept."

They broke away from each other temporarily. Byleth hung the silver chain around his neck, taking care to center her mother's - now his - ring in the center of his chest. She admired it for a moment before giving him her hand. Covertly figuring out her ring size had been a challenge all on its own, so he prided himself when it slipped on effortlessly.

It didn't take long for them to fall into one another again. There was nothing left between them. No compromised positions, no time apart, no war, no doubt, no distance. No matter what happened from there on out, he vowed to stay by her side and plan for their future.

Maybe with each other, just maybe, they wouldn't have to feel as much pain.

* * *

Two things stood out to Felix as he awoke the next morning.

Firstly, his room was brighter than usual behind his still-closed eyelids. He'd always taken care to keep his curtains drawn over the window to prevent the morning sun from making his room too warm. Secondly, his blankets were more weighted than usual. Faerghus winters could be freezing of course, but Felix had never slept with more than a couple of light blankets to fight off the chill.

When he cracked his eyes open and was greeted with a splash of green on his chest, he remembered why. He hadn't slept in his room last night, and he hadn't slept alone.

Flashes of the evening before turned his face warm. A spar. One - no two - proposals. A kiss, followed by several more. A sharing of stories behind scars that wandered further and further beneath their clothing. An impatient stumble into her quarters. A disregard of remaining clothing and a tangle of lips and limbs. And finally, a rest.

He really had planned on going more traditionally with her: introducing her to his mother, showing her his home, giving all of the proper gifts. But nothing else had quite been traditional between them.

Recounting the events must have quickened his heartbeat, because she soon began to stir against his chest. Suddenly feeling an urge to keep her there as long as possible, he placed a hand on her head and carded his fingers through the hair that splayed over him. The effect was immediate, and she became putty on top of him all over again.

When her mint green hair was tangle free, he removed his hand only for her to pull it back.

"Don't - don't stop," she mumbled. "Feels good."

"So you are awake."

Her answer was just a lazy nod on his chest at first, which managed to re-tangle a section of her hair. "Don't wanna be," he barely heard from her half-buried face. "So many meetings today."

"Archbishop duties, huh?"

Her eyes fell open with a sudden panic. She pushed herself off and lay next to him. "So you heard…"

"Mhmm"

"And it doesn't change your mind?"

"Byleth, I wouldn't have given you this if it did." He held up her hand with the green emerald ring showing proudly.

"You're right," her gaze relaxed. "Besides, someone's gotta keep me from going soft with all the church business."

He dropped her hand and pulled her close. "You'll be fine."

They lay for a moment in comfortable silence, running fingers through hair and along exposed skin, until the sun rays filled her room. She pulled back once again, yet was still unwilling to get up yet. "My coronation's in a few days. Will you stay until then?"

The Dukedom would need him, but it could wait a little longer. "Course," he said, "and after, we'll figure something out."

A smile graced her features that he wouldn't tire of seeing soon. As she finally sat up in the bed and turned her back to him, he took in every scar that marked her spine. He wanted to trace every one of them and remember the sting of each one along with her. He wanted her to do the same for him, to learn the story behind every one she'd felt.

The actual pain never bothered either of them, and neither would any new ones to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *hugs Dimitri* sorry I had to be mean to you, babe, you know I love you, right?
> 
> As with the previous chapter, there was alot more I wanted to add to this story (basically more of Rodrigue and the other Blue Lions, as well as more Felileth development) but ultimately I had to stop somewhere. Thank you all so much for reading, as well as for all of the kind comments and kudos! I also want to thank everyone in the Felileth Discord server, SwordKittens, for just being incredible people overall. 
> 
> Felileth Week really delivered, and everyone who contributed deserves all of the love. Here's to more Felileth in the future!


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